Fade To Black
by Alden-san
Summary: A dangerous mission, the search for a killer, and a brutal death that leaves Team 7, and Sakura in particular, determined to find the murderer. SemiAU. No more updates after Chp. 6
1. Prologue

Darkness.

The sun was asleep, as were most people in the village. They would not have been able to see much, anyways. The skies were almost pitch black, with small flashing pieces of silver in the sky twinkling. Few would wake this early.

One was the Hokage, making sure she knew everything that was going on in her village, even during the hours before dawn.

One was her faithful assistant, ready to catch her if she ever fell asleep.

Others, various ANBU and Jounin, beginning training routines at insane times, making full use of the precious silence and darkness .

And one was Mitsuko Nori, jounin-sensei and taskmaster to three genin, one who'd been long used to the darkness of the earliest hours of the day. At 28, he was a good specimen of the regular Jounin. He had chestnut brown hair, long enough that he was often mistaken for a woman by men looking for a date, but short enough to bind quickly in case of a sudden battle. He wore his jounin vest proudly, having acquired it 5 years ago at 24.

Young enough to be comfortable with the three teenagers, while old enough to save their asses, most of the time.

They weren't chuunin yet, but they were damn close. Nori was proud of them, more than he could professionally say. They were the closest thing he had to a family, really. Other than Miko, his cat, of course.

One downside to being on his team was the training time - The same as most Jounin's training time. Most Jounin preferred to train without their students, then pick them up in the morning. Nori, however, made sure they came with him, or he'd drag them out of bed himself. Sometimes they were even grateful...

Most of the time they weren't, but he could handle that. His sensei had done that to him, and his sensei's sensei... Anywas, it was important. That way they got to the missions office as soon as it opened, and got their pick of the best missions.

As he leapt into the training area, though, something was missing.

Namely, his students.

He looked around the forest clearing, immediately suspicious. One or two might not show up, but all three? The hell...?

"Sakujna! Ikari! Ura! Get out here!" he barked, looking around. He heard a shift in the trees, heard an intake of breath. Heard a giggle.

He sighed, smiled, and turned around, looking slightly down. His eyes caught on the green eyes of a familiar person.

His black-haired student grinned.

"You caught us, sensei," she said, grinning wider.

"Yeah, Sakujna. I caught you. Where are the guys?" He asked, pulling his hand through his hair, annoyed.

"Oh!" She looked, as if remembering something. "They were hiding in a cave, just down here... I was supposed to be lookout. I failed, didn't I, sensei? They'll be annoyed," Of course, this didn't seem to bother the young girl in the slightest.

"Yeah, they will... You planned on that, didn't you?" He asked, grinning a little. The two headed west a little bit, until they hit it.

"That it, Saku?" He pointed to a cave in a rocky cliff. They were near the bottom of the mountains, apparently. He looked up at the Hokage's faces.

"Mhm... Come on, sensei... We gotta be quiet though. they're probably sleeping, ne?" Sakujna giggled mischieviously, ducking into the cave. Nori followed, ducking under and stepping in.

It seemed like a little hole in the cliffside, just small enough to stand it. The only thing he could see where she might have gone was a little tunnel... It looked like some kind of animal had dug it in years past. This surprised him not at all - the Fire Country was home to a number of species of bears, etc etc.

"I'm coming, Saku..." He murmered, crawling into the tunnel. He really had to work, getting through here. Squeezing himself to fit, he shuffled along the small tunnel.

Finally, an exit! He crawled out, looking around the small cave. It was empty, cold, and shaped like a perfect circle. He could stand, fitting easily. Where was she? Unless...

"Saku? Ika? Ura? Where are you guys?" He asked the air, looking around frantically. 'Okay, it's best to remain in control in a situation like this...'

"You caught us, sensei..." Sakujna's voice bounced around the cavern. He froze. The whole cave, left to right to left, was empty... That left only one place.

"You caught us, sensei..." He looked up. His eyes widened, his body shaking suddenly.

"You caught us, sensei..." Three figures, swinging from the ceiling. Even through the scars and the discolouration, he recognised them. His students. His hand dug into his kunai pouch.

"You caught us... sensei..." A new voice whispered in his ear. A hand grabbed Nori's wrist, squeezing so hard it felt as if it were being crushed. Then it fell limp, as did the rest of his body. A paralyzing fear took hold of him. What could he do?

He felt the point of something sharp rip through the back of his jacket, felt the bite of steel and the blood flowing out of him. Then, a jerk. He slumped forwards.

"You caught us..."

The figure smiled, looking down at Nori's dead body.

"... sensei."

-  
Fade to Black Prologue Alden-san Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging to Masashi Kishimoto etc. probably belong to me.  
-----------------

"We've got a passive assignment. Possible C or even B level."

A silver haired Jounin, Hatake Kakashi, jogged down the stone steps of the Shinobi Assignment Office, towards his students.

Sakura was the weakest physically, of the group. She made up for this, however, in her memorization skills and perfect chakra control. Because she didn't have much chakra in the first place, however, that meant she needed to increase it by quite a bit. With her flashing pink hair, mischevious green eyes and close-cut, stylish Chinese-style dress, she could outmatch either of her teammates in large-scale tactical planning and calculations. A bit insecure about her own lack of power, she was still indespensible to her teammates. She also had a crush / was in love with her teammate Sasuke. No-one, not even her closest friends or family, could tell whether her feelings were true or borne of a childhood crush.

Sasuke was the tragic survivor of the murder of his family, the prestigious Uchiha clan. His older brother Itachi performed this act himself half a decade ago, eliminating many of the village's more powerful ninja for an unexplained reason. Sasuke himself was a fairly poweful genin, with a high chakra level and basic chakra control. His strength was in his jutsu, which were above regular genin level (especially his fire jutsu, like a chuunin-level fire skill he learned when he was very young). He mastered their famous teacher Kakashi's only unique techniqure, the Chidori, in a small amount of time. This was made easier by an ability that lay in his especial DNA that allowed him to transform his eyes into the Sharingan, a powerful tool for seeing and copying various nin-, gen- and taijutsu.

Naruto had been born freshly in the middle of a disaster, the attack of the youma Kyuubi. To save his village, the Fourth Hokage gave his life to seal the demon into Naruto's stomach. This had made the unknowing boy go through a hard life, with scorn on the part of the adults and ridicule from his peers, who didn't know his secret but absorbed their parent's hostility. Now he was a powerhouse of chakra, able to use high-level jutsu despite his poor chakra control. He could also, using the Kyuubi's chakra, summon the frog boss, Gamabunta.

Sakura was sitting at the edge of the base of a statue, commemerating Sarutobi Kyushu, one of the villages great heroes and related to the late Sandaime Hokage. Sasuke was sitting a few metres away from her, staring into space as Naruto yelled at him. At the sight of their sensei, and hearing his announcement, however, he smiled slightly.

Sakura looked up, as her sensei walked towards them from the mission's office. "What, sensei? A C-level? But..."

"Yahoo! We have an interesting mission! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Naruto yelled excitedly, running in circles around his teammates, until Sasuke reached out and smacked him over the head.

"He said passive, dobe. That means no fighting, no training, no jutsu needed. Right, Kakashi?" Sasuke looked at Kakashi. Sasuke had stopped calling Kakashi 'sensei', preferring the shorter, less formal term. The two were closer than Kakashi ever had been with either of his other students, Kakashi having trained Sasuke privately a few months ago during the Chuunin exam, and again when Naruto went off with his other sensei, a legendary ninja named Jiraiya, to find the person who would become the Godaime Hokage.

"What's the assignment, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, looking up at her sensei's hidden face. "It must be hard, even if it's not an active mission, right?"

"We're investigating a murder,"Kakashi said simply. "That's all I know. Once we get to the location, they'll brief us."

"I see..." Sakura said, confused. Murder? That was a pretty common crime for a 'C' ranking. "It must be shinobi, either murdered or murderer. That's the kind of mission they assign for 'C' rank when it comes to things like this. When the one guilty could switch the position from passive to active at any time, right?"

"Mhm. That's why they usually want these things hushed up and done quickly, though in most cases it takes at least two weeks to interview all the suspects. Even that's sometimes too soon to close a case."

"Kakashi, why are genin being assigned a murder investigation that's a rank above us? And where are we going?" Sasuke asked irrtably, following close behind Kakashi.

It was Sakura who answered, with a hint of doubt. "If the murder investigation needs a really good jounin on them, they sometimes assign them to genin teams with really good sensei's. Especially the three genin are exceptional. I guess, in this case, it fits. Kakashi-sensei is famous, Sasuke-kun has the Sharingan, I was top of my class at these sorts of things, and Naruto knows people proably better than any of us, Kakashi-sensei excluded. I'd say we were a pretty common choice for this kind of thing, Sasuke-kun."

"The dobe knowing more about human nature than I do? Doubt it. Anyways, I thought we were restricted to D missions after we almost got Hakuri-san killed... Unless they really need a sharingan user for this. I mean, me and Kakashi are the only ones in Konoha who have it, and I'm the only one with born Sharigan, so I'm guessing that's it," Sasuke said, looking over at Sakura.

Sakura nodded. "I guess so- There it is! That's the site! Kakashi-sensei... The actual site's in a cave. should we follow, or stay out here and wait for you?"

"I think it'd be better if you came in, Sakura. You'll get the whole brief, and I won't have to bother explaining it, ne?" He smiled with his eyes, and Sakura smiled back.

---

Five minutes later, Sakura was wishing she had stayed outside to be briefed before she'd entered the cave. She was not used to seeing dead, mutilated bodies of people near her teammates'- and sensei's age after just hours of lying there.

Three teenagers were hanging from the ceiling of the cold cavern by their necks, sporting cuts and bruises all over their bodies. A girl and two boys, a genin team. They were a year or two older than Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were, by the looks of it.

The worst part was the sensei. He was stripped completely, lying facedown on the ground, with slashes all down his back, with a stab wound going completely through him from the front.. The person who'd done this was angry, that's for sure. Their headbands were strung together and thrown haphazardly aside

"Four victims, it seems. Kameno Sakujna, Ukiko Ikari, Uta Urake and Mitsuko Nori, their jounin sensei. The three have been dead for longer the sensei. I'd pin T.O.D at around 2am last night, and the sensei two hours later. The kids were all killed by their throats being slit, but the sensei's cause of death..." The medic-nin in charge kneeled down, rolling Nori onto his stomach. He pointed to a deep wound in the middle of the back. "Right there. The rest - the stabbing, cutting, bruising - was done either after he was dead or while he was bleeding to death. It's suspected the three were bait, maybe he was lured by genjutsu, and he was killed in the split second he froze up."

"Eugh..." Sakura cringed, looking down at the man's body. "Kakashi-sensei, who could do this?"

"They were found by a hiker. He was shook up, but didn't touch anything..." The medic-nin said.

"Wait a second... Kameno Sakujna, that was the girls name? She's the daughter of Kameno Kaoru and his wife Riku, ne? I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was based around her, to hurt her parents and hide suspicion..." Kakashi said. "The Kameno clan isn't that popular, in Konoha or outside of it."

"Why, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura looked at the girl, sympathy on her face. This girl could have been killed... because of her parents?

"The Kameno clan has a tendacy to have great Hunter-nin in the family. Meaning that there are a lot of criminals who died because of them, so there are a lot of enemies in that direction. Grieving famiies, annoyed partners-in-crime who lost their meal ticket because one of their guys was killed in the middle of a job... You name it, " Kakashi said, sighing. "If that's the case, there are a lot of suspects."

"What about their sensei, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Nori? No... Nobody would kill him, as far as I know. 28 years old, a few years older than me... He's single, but there's a girl he's with, who's got to support a baby she had when she was 17. She's a year younger than he is. He's been helping her get through it, but she has no-one to help her now. He hasn't got much of a family background, except for his mother's sister marrying into the Uchiha clan, but that's a pretty obscure motive. He's been a jounin for five years, which really worries me, if he's dead. I worked with him, once or twice, and he knew his jutsu. Why is a genin team investigating this, if the murderer's so obviously either stong, or a genius?"

"Probably the fact that all the Jounin are busy doing active missions, so they need to get a genin team for access to a jounin" Sakura added, looking around the cave. "I'm still curious, though, why they chose a genin team that was restricted to D missions for a 'C' level that could escalate into a 'B' level..."

"Mhm," Kakashi nodded, looking over a fact sheet that had come with the mission brief. "Also, Ukiko Ikari was a bloodline user. I'd almost forgot about the Ukiko, because they'd quieted down so much..."

"What? Kakashi-sensei, I thought Konoha only had two - The Uchiha and the Hyuuga. I didn't know about the Ukiko clan..."

"That's because this clan acts like any other normal clan, instead of keeping a whole village to itself, basically. There was an Ukiko village - You know that area of Konoha called the Triangle of Peace? That's the section between the Hyuuga, Uchiha and Ukiko village gates. Only, about 16 years ago, the clan was attacked by Mist Country assasins, and a lot were killed. Now, however, they are living peacefully as a smaller clan, keeping their ambitions low and only sending off one in five of their children to become shinobi," Kakashi said.

"I see..." Sakura mulled this thought over. "So, this attack could have happened by people who wanted Ikari to be dead, so the clan's bloodline would end. That means other Ukiko children are in danger, I guess... What's the matter, Sasuke-kun?"

"So two of the three clans have been whittled down to nothing. Mist Country assasinates this family, and Itachi murders mine... This doesn't seem like a coincedence, not when two major bloodline clans are murdered within two decades of eachother. That means, this Ikari is probably a good lead, too..."

"And Uta Urake?"

"Urake's father is, according to this, a rice merchant who moved here from Kuroko a decade ago. He's been building up high gambling debts within the last eight years - after his wife died. Ura's pay, along with some of his father's profits, keeps them satisfied, but the debt just grows higher and higher. This could be their sign to hurry up and pay... We've got too many suspects to hurry this one along, because all of the people involved have a good number of suspects, except for Nori."

"Sensei..." Sakura said, in a confused voice, looking at the exit to the cave.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked, looking over his former comrade's body, wondering if his facade of noncaring was numbing his ability to care about a former comrade. His inner blankness disturbed him greatly...

"Where's Naruto?"

------

As it turned out, Naruto was sitting outside the cave, staring blankly into the water. That was where Sakura found him. "Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan... I don't think I can do this..."

Sakura almost fell over in surprise. Of all the things she'd expected, Naruto breaking down hadn't been anticipated. She'd expected him to charge into it, demanding jutsice for all who'd died, and end up bungling something in his charge ahead.

"What do you mean, Naruto? Do you mean..."

"Sakura-chan... Those people ae dead. I know that they need to have justice, but... It's just so..." Naruto looked up at the morning sky, as if waiting for an answer.

"Sick? Twisted? Yeah, murder's like that. Naruto... As a ninja, you'll have to deal with death. As Hokage, you'd be swarmed with it. One in twenty ninja don't make it to chuunin. Seven in ten chuunin die in battle. One in ten chuunin makes it to jounin. The rest either don't want to, or die in the process. A ninja's life... is one of the most dangerous things you can be. I never really thought about it, either... But, if I make it to chuunin, that's as far as I'll make it. I'm probably a good candidate for chuunin, if I could fight. but you see, now I don't even know if I'll live long enough to get that far... I'm not like you and Sasuke-kun. I don't have any strong jutsu, or flashy moves, just enough to keep me alive."

"Sakura-chan won't die! I'll keep anyone from killing you! I- I'd let myself die before letting any of you three die! You guys...You're my most precious people, along with Iruka-sensei and Konohamaru. I don't want to become Hokage if it means letting you guys die. Especially you, Sakura-chan. I'll protect you with my life!" Naruto almost yelled.

Sakura just smiled a little, and said, "Naruto, Kakashi-sensei will be waiting for us... You think you'll be able to help after all? I mean, there are four of them, with enough suspects to fill up the academy, so we need some definate help-"

Naruto nodded, interrupting her. "I'll help, Sakura-chan. The guy who did this won't know what hit him!"

--End Prologue-- 


	2. Chapter One: Suiren's Sorrow

"Yoshi-chan! Yoshi-chan! You'll be late for Academy if you don't get your ass down here!" Kumono Suiren half-yelled, half-sang, closing the small lunch bag and tapping her foot, swinging her head to the music.

"Hai, mother! I'm coming!" A young boy yelled, bouncing down the steps and ran into the kitchen. Stuffing the lunch into his small bag and reaching up to kiss his mother on the cheek. Then, he ran towards the door.

"Did you remember your kunai?"

"Hai, mother!"

"And your shuriken? And those scrolls I bought you? And your housekey?"

"Hai, mother!" Then she heard the door close, and she sighed, a tear growing in her eyes. Her boy was growing up! He was gonna be a ninja, and life would be different for the both of them. They'd both be happy, and free...

She swung her hips around, her hands in her hair, as her body moved to the music. She mouthed the lyrics as she moved into their small living room, picking the magazines off the floor and setting them on the table, then flicking on the light. She leaned over, and pulled a notepad from a drawer.

Sitting on the couch, she swung her head slightly to the beat as she wrote quickly, her hand moving around, humming slightly. A form was starting to appear, a man with long hair, and a jounin vest...

RING! RING!

"Damn, work time... I really have to get Umino to lower my hours..." She swore, shoving the book into a drawer. Then, she turned the music off, got her jacket and purse, and walked to the door. She eyed the clock as she opened it. Wait... It wasn't time for work...

"Kumono-san?" A man, a jounin, was standing on her doorstep. The girl behind him gasped. Suiren almost gasped too.

The girl was a little replica of herself.

-  
Fade to Black Chapter One: Suiren's Sorrow Alden-san Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging ot Masashi Kishimoto etc., likely belong to me.  
-----------------

Sakura was shocked, as she peeked from behind Kakashi-sensei's shoulder. The woman that they had to interview... She looked just like her! Long pink hair, mischevious green eyes, and an annoyed smile.

"Well, well... I don't recieve many visitors. Come in, make yourselves at home... Did Nori send you? He's such a great guy, but he said he'd get some money for Yoshi-chan's equipment, and, well... Come on, come on..." The woman ushered them into a rather small living room. The couches looked faily uncomfortable, thewre was a stack of magazines haphazardly stacked on a table, about to fall over, and the carpet was covered in dirt and a few crumbs.

"I'm sorry, but my vacuum broke down last week, and I don't get paid until Friday, so... I have afew hours before I'm needed at the club, so.. What do you two need? Anything I can do to help?" She leaned forwardss, looking eager to help.

"Kumono-san... Mitsuki Nori was murdered this morning, and we need to ask you a few questions..." Kakashi winced as he paused, waiting for a reaction.

"This is some kind of sick joke, Jounin. You can try to take my house, try to take my child, but I won't have you coming in here spouting lies. Out."

"But, Kumono-san, it's the truth!" Sakura blurted out, then rushed to cover her mouth. She could have, instead of helping, just made it worse.

"No, it isn't! Nobody would kill Nori! He wasn't murdered! I refuse to believe it!" She yelled, standing up.

"Kumono-san, I know that you and Nori may have had some agreement-"

"Agreement my ass! We... We're going to get married! We're going to get married, and Yoshi-chan will have a father, and we'll escape this hellhole! He's not dead! No! No!" She yelled, tears springing to her eyes, her hand swinging out to knock a lamp from the table. It fell to the ground, the glass top shattering. "I refuse to believe that something like this..."

She seemed to have trouble breathing. "Not... to us... again... Not after Mitsu, no... No..." Her pleas lost their edge, becoming more like sobs than yells, as she slid to her knees and put her head in her hands.

Kakashi moved towards her. "Kumono-san-"

"Suiren," She muttered quickly.

"Suiren-san... We can help you and your child with financial difficulties..." He said, looking at her and kneeling. "You'll be fine..."

"No, no, no..." Kakashi lifted her face to look up at his.

'Tell me it isn't true!' Her eyes pleaded, welling up with tears.

"We can move you to a secure environment... if you feel... unsafe..." He said, looing away. Sakura watched on, amazed. How would she handle it, if Sasuke-kun died? Would she react like Kumono-san was?

"Jounin-san..."

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Hatake-san... You don't know what we've had to live through! When Mitsuyoshi-kun died, our life fell apart. I was a teenager with nowhere to go... I could never return to my parents. I managed to get a job at the club, singing you know, and that got us through the first three years. Then... then I met Nori, and he was so... kind, and generous... He helped pay for this house, and for a lot of our things. On my salary, it was a struggle to live to the next day, but now we live an almost-normal lifestyle, because of him. He even wanted to help us have a bigger, better apartment upscale from here, but I told him it's be too much, you know? And, if he's dead, we have to go back to that, I mean..."

"Don't worry, you'll be able to secure enough money to get yourself through the next week, at least, right? And from there..." Kakashi was desperately trying to save the situation.

The woman was silent for a second. "Okay... I'm okay, now...I mean, I'm still sad, who wouldn't be? I can't believe it... But, I think... I think I can handle a few questions... If you can help find his killer with them..."

Both returned to their seats, both trying to smile. Sakura felt the awkwrdness, and she opened her mouth to ask the first question, but Kakashi held up a hand.

"Suiren-san, this is just procedure, but... Where were you, between the hours of 1 o'clock in the morning to 5 o'clock?"

"Oh... this morning? Well, Ikuko-san wanted me to stay a bit late, because there were a few late-night-morning customers, so I rattled off Boa's 'Every Heart'. I got out of the club about 1:30, and headed home. I headed home, and went to bed as soon as I got home. I woke up at 6, about an hour ago, to get Yoshi-chan ready for school. Thus... here we are now."

"Ahh, I see. And... your employer would vouch for your being there?"

Suiren nodded. "Both of them. Okira Itachi and Umino Reiko. As well as... I think Sarutobi Asuma-san and Kimino Sanomaru-san were around about then, too. A few other random customers saw me leave... And I've got my work slip right here..." She dug through her purse, and offered it to Kakashi. "Plus the fact that I'd be certafiably insane if I was involved in something like this, I mean... Nori was going to save us. I would never hurt him. I love him, or at least... at least as much I can after Mitsu-kun..."

Kakashi nodded, looking over the slip. "This looks like an unbreakable alibi. I think that you're innocent, at least. Now, let's work on getting the real killer straight, ne?"

She nodded, and he continued.

"Did... Did Nori have any enemies? Anyone who disliked him?" Kakashi asked. "Oh, and I might need this slip for evidence. Is that alright?"

"Hai. And no, Nori wasn't anyone's enemy... Well, except..."

"Yes?" Kakashi looked up at the woman. Sakura watched on, curious to see how this turned out. If they could find out who'd done it...

"Well, the family of his former teammate, who swore that it was Nori's fault he died, but that's nonsense, of course. Nori was a great guy, he wouldn't..."

"No, no... So, this family?"

"The Yamanaka Clan. His teammate was Yamanaka Keitarou."

And Sakura dropped her pencil, looking at the woman in surprise.

'Ino's family?'

---

"Mhm, okay... So, you'll be here in five minutes? Okay, thanks, Naruto. Is Sasuke-kun with you? No? Okay... He didn't pick up when I called him, so... Mhm, okay. You still have the address? Please say you didn't lose it again- Oh, okay. I'll see you in five, then, Naruto..." Sakura hung up the phone and sighed, moving across the room to the couch.

Today was too much. First those... bodies, then the shock of seeing Suiren-san, and then finding out they'd have to investigate Ino's family as possible suspects. She just hoped they could supply an alibi as easily as Suiren could...

Ding! Ding! Sakura swung around, heading towards the kitchen and turning off the stove. Pulling a bowl from a cupboard, she filled it with soup from the warm pot. Then she settled down at her kitchen table. Her parents had gone out to see one of their friends so Sakura could 'have her friends over'. Her parents didn't know she was working on a murder case, and she wasn't going to be he one to tell them. At least, not anytime soon.

'They don't realise I'm basically an adult now, that I can make my own choices...' Sakura thought, annoyed, as she looked through Nori's information. A man with a few friends, he seemed so... regular. Sakura knew there was more to it. Why set up such an elaborate scene for the jounin sensei, then kill him, if you're not after him, just aiming for one of the students?

She shifted through to his 'Possible Connections'.

" 'When he was thirteen, his sensei, Kiyama Kurama, and his teammate, Yamanaka Keitarou, died at the hands of some missing-nin', " She read out, loud from the sheet. " 'Their sensei hadn't anticipated the strong ninja on such a simple, 'C' class mission, but the missing-nins killed the Konoha ninja out of fear that they'd report their location. Nori and his teammate somehow killed one of the missing-nin and incapacitated the other, making their escape. Some of the Yamanaka, namely Keitarou's sister Kouya and brother Koimaru, stated their suspicions one or both of the surviving teammates held back from saving their sensei, and/or their other teammate. Of course, after an investigation had pointed otherwise, they were extremely sorry, and thanked them especially, for attempting to save their brother...'

"Hmm... Could these two have tried to avenge their brother's death? It would have really helped if they'd added the other teammate. Maybe he... Actually, it would be a girl, because Keitarou was a guy... Anyways, she could have told us more about Nori than Suiren-san could, knowing him better when he was younger..." Her head turned as someone knocked on her door. "Oh, that must be Naruto..."

Sakura got up and headed to the door, opening it. She sighed, and smiled, looking int her teammate's face. "Hey, Naruto. Is Sasuke-kun with you?"

"Why would I bring Sasuke with me, Sakura-chan? I thought..." Naruto pouted.

"No, I told you! We were going to talk about the mission!" She almost yelled, through gritted teeth. "Did you bring your results of your interview, at least?"

At that, Naruto brightened up a little. "Yeah, Sakura-chan! That girl... her parents were really nice. They were... They said it was ridiculous how everyone acted to me, and that they hoped they could help us find their daughter's killer... Sakura-chan, it was really... sweet... Are all parents like that, Sakura-chan?"

Naruto didn't have any parents... Sakura remembered instantly. She nodded slightly. "Mhm, parents are like that. They... really worry about their kids..."

"I see..." Naruto smiled suddenly. "Let's get to work, Sakura-chan!" Naruto raced in past Sakura, then looked around. "Anou... where do we go?"

"Naruto! You don't just run into someone's house before they let you in! And the living room... is through the door at the end of the hall... Just go, Naruto, there's some soup on the stove if you missed dinner..."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto headed off, humming, 'I'm in Sakura-chan's house, I'm in Sakura-chan's house...'

Sakura smiled, closed and locked the door, and headed down the hall. 'Now, to see what Naruto found out, asking Kameno-san's family...' she thought, hoping Naruto had thought of important, relevant questions to the case... and whether he could tell if they were lying or not...

"Wow, Sakura-chan! My soup never turned out this great! Your microwave must be really good!" Naruto called from the kitchen. Sakura just sighed, shook her head, smiled and closed the door.

--- End Chapter One --- 


	3. Chapter Two: The Lonely Fox

"Are... are you the boy from the squad in charge of Sakujna's death?"

Naruto looked at the woman in front of him, standing in the house's doorway, and nodded slowly.. Her dress of mourning was a long, simple affair, touching her ankles. The contrast of her black dress and her long black hair to her pale face made her seem more like a ghost than a woman. Her face had traces of recent tears. At his nod, however, she smiled slightly and opened the door, gesturing for him to come in.

This should be Riku, Sakujna's mother. The Kameno clan was famous for it's hunter-nin's, but she had married into the family. Her husband, Kaoru, was the ninja. Her parents were wealthy Kuroko jewelers, who had sent her up to Konohagakure for a summer 'so she would get some fresh air'. That was where she'd met Kaoru, and they fallen in love. The parents had not only accepted but encouraged the two, through their marriage at nineteen and when their first daughter was born at twenty.

"Kaoru-san! One of the ones investigating Sakujna's death has come!" she called, then looked back towards him. "I'm so glad you came..."

"Naruto..." Naruto said quietly, nodding.

"Ahhh, hai, I know you! You are that boy..." Naruto braced himself for a harsh word. "The one everyone treats so unfairly. It's really sad how society has degenerated, ne, to be so fixated on a poor young boy?"

She smiled then, and Naruto smiled back. Not full, happy smiles like they might have once done, but more as appreciation of eachother. Naruto nodded, and she brought him inside.

"Poor Kaoru-san has mostly locked himself in his training room. I'd hate to be that poor piece of wood he calls a training post. It's a wonder if he hasn't shattered it by now. Poor Okami's going to be shattered, once she finds out... She went on a singing scholarship to a special two-week course in Sky Country, up in the east mountains. She may have gotten the letter by now, but she won't be home for a few more days, minimum... I'm so sorry..." She shook her head, leading him into their living room.

"Ehhh, it's okay... I'm so sorry for your loss, Kameno-san, and I'll try my best..." Naruto bowed his head, and sat down. "I still need to ask you a few questions... Would that be okay?"

She nodded, and said, "We should wait for Kaoru-san and Kimiko..."

"Ki-miko?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Our maid," she said, nodding. "You know, sometimes I'm worried that Kimiko and Kaoru-san-"

"Hello, sir. Can I get you anything?" A woman with long brown hair streaked with blond, stood in the doorway. She couldn't be younger than twenty, but definately not older than thirty. She wore rather loose pants and shirt, making her seem like a young girl wearing her mother's clothes. Her bright colours and fresh face made a strange contrast to Riku's pale complexion and mourning.

"Kimiko, this boy is investigating Sakujna's death. I believe he'll want to ask us all some questions. Could you get Kaoru-san?" Hikari looked over to the girl, her kind voice taking a clipped, impatient tone. "And please don't chew gum near the carpet, thank you. Do I smell coffee? Might I have a cup? Thank you, Kimiko."

With that, the girl disappeared down the hall. Riku turned back to Naruto.

"Now, shall we get down to business, Naruto-kun?"

-  
Fade to Black Chapter Two: The Lonely Fox Alden-san Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging to Masashi Kishimoto etc., likely belong to me.  
-----------------

"So, Kameno-san was asleep during the murders. Kaoru-san told her he was out on a mission, but the Hokage's office says he wasn't really. Kimiko, the maid, had also gone to visit sick relatives, apparently, but none were sick. The rest of the family were at home, either asleep or working..." Naruto said, nodding. "Kameno-san also told me that Kimiko had a fight with Sakujna a week ago about makeup..."

"Eugh, that's not a motive to kill a whole genin team..." Sakura waved her hand at Naruto's offerings. "What confuses me is that the father was out while his daughter was being killed... Could he have killed her?"

"I dunno, Sakura-chan... I could never think a dad would kill his daughter... I mean..." Naruto looked lost. "He looked so sad..."

"Trust me, Naruto... Murderers come in all shapes and sizes. He seems to be a good lead, if only he had any sort of motive... I think the lead's in Mitsuko-san, personally. I know something's there... If I can just look at it the right way... It's like I've got mostly the right pieces of a puzzle, except the ones that connect them all..."

"Hmmm... This is so stupid! Why did someone kill them! It's so..." Naruto searched for a word.

"Irritating? I know... I read mystery novels by the ton when I was a kid, so this should be a piece of cake compared to those, right?" Sakura smiled wanly. "I just...I wonder if Sasuke-kun has any leads... Anywas... Was there anything else?"

Naruto grinned. "Mhm! Her sister works at the same place... ummm... I'm not sure who it is, but another suspect does..." His face fell.

"The Lonely Fox, where Suiren-san works?" Sakura perked up. "What sister? What about her?" She snatched up the folder wuith the Kameno family files.

"She's away in the mountains for a singing scholarship..." Naruto lead off when he noticed Sakura wasn't listening. "Sakura-chan? What?"

"I just find it a weird coincedence that this place employs one of our suspects and one with a family connection to a victim... Wait! That Urake kid..." She pulled up another folder, opening it to the page of another older girl. "Uta Hikari, Urake's sister, works at the Lonely Fox! Wait a second... And Ikari's mother, too! One sec... Okami, that's Sakujna's sister, and Hikari, Ukari's sister, are both waitresses at the Lonely Fox. Both are trying to get a steady job singing, which is what Suiren-san does there. Ukiko Aoi, Ikari's mother, is a steady waitress there also. I wonder what the connection is..."

"That's... really weird, Sakura-chan..." Naruto looked at her oddly.

"All three of them got their jobs in the same few months! Hikari, last Febuary, Okami, last March and Aoi, last June. Suiren-san got her job there the year before her son was born, 11 years ago, when she was sixteen... Hmmm, this isn't a coincidence, there has to be a connection, whether to the murder or just to the team."

"Hmmm..." Naruto bit his lip.

"I think we'll have to visit it. It's a major spot of activity... One sec..." Sakura leaned over to the phone, and dialed something in.

"Kakashi-sensei? You noticed the many appearences of the Lonely Fox in the suspect sheets? I think it's be a good idea- Oh, you've been there? The Jounin hold thier parties there? Wow... Anyways, we should check it out, right, Kakashi-sensei? Tomorrow? Okay..." Sakura put the phone down.

"We're going to go there tonight, okay, Naruto? Kakashi-sensei said he and Sasuke-kun will meet us there..."

---

"Kakashi-sensei! I thought this was a small place, maybe a grungy little side-bar... Not a great big place like this!"

The Lonely Fox was huge, at least for a club in Konohagakure. It was in the heart of the Konoha's downtown-ish area, the one mostly populated with non-ninja. The bright neon signs and the people streaming into the double doors that led into the building. The building was painted black, with a mural of a fox attacking a wolf over the sign, clearly winning. Strains of a pretty voice came over the noise to tickle Sakura's ears.

"No, Sakura, this place is a pretty popular place. It's been around forever... Your own parents probably went to it when they were young..." Kakashi ruffled Sakura's hair.

"Yahoo! Kakashi-sensei, do we actually get to go inside?" Naruto grinned, looking up into his sense's face, clearly excited.

"Hn..." Sasuke said, looking at the place with disgust. "A building filled with drunks and half naked women, I bet. If they have any clothes at all."

"No, no Sasuke, heheh. Just because I come here regularily doesn't mean..." Kakashi gave a nervous laugh. "It's completely kid-safe! We better get in the line..." Kakashi nudged them forwards.

"Anou-sa, Anou-sa Kakashi-sensei! Do they have ramen here?" Naruto asked, jumping up and down.

Kakashi frowned... At least, Sakura thought so. She couldn't really tell. "I don't really know, Naruto... Oh! Suzume-chan!" Kakashi waved at a woman his age, and caught the bottle she thrown (rather forcefully) towards his head as she stormed off.

"Was it something I said?" Kakashi murmured confusedly, before pulling his young charges inside.

All three were surprised. The room was big, or maybe the flashing lights just made it seem bigger. Except for these lights, oddly couloured party lights shining in dirrent directions, the room was dark. There were a number of tables with people, in either groupd or couples. A few sat alone, even. Incense burning in steel braziers eliminated the smell of the smoke drifting around, either for effect or because of cigarettes from the odd smoker. A bar was to the side, with a door in the back, which Sakura assumed led to the kitchen.

The biggest attraction, though, was the stage. A large piece of floor was set aside for dancers (it was full) and there was the live music Kakashi had mentioned in passing - A black haired woman in a floor-reaching, glittering red dress, murmuring a soft, slow song to the crowd. Sakura smiled, and she hugged onto Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, let's dance!" She said, pulling him closer.

Kakashi shook his head and waved a finger at her. "Tsk tsk, Sakura. forgetting the mission so quickly?"

Sakura's cheeks turned red instantly... but she didn't let go of Sasuke, evenas Kakashi led them to a door on the back wall. Two big men were guarding it.

"We're here to see Itachi-san and Reiko-san, if you please." Kakashi nodded respectfully.

"Back again, Hatake?" One of them punched Kakashi lightly on the shoulder. "Couldn't keep yourself away for long, ne?"

The other rolled his eyes. "Geez, Ochi! He's brought his team, you idiot! It's gotta be business this time..."

Ochi froze, smiling nervously. "Ahhh, I see. I'll go get Reiko-san and Itachi-san, right away!"

The other man opened the door, saying, "You know where to go, Hatake. And don't do any ninja stuff, it creeps Itachi-san out. And Reiko-san barely kept her for charging you for that vase..."

Kakashi nodded, pulling the three (Sakura looking disgusted, Sasuke rolling his eyes and Naruto looking confused) into the corridor. Going a bit of a ways, he knocked on the first door.

"So, Kakashi-sensei... what happened to the vase?" Sakura inquired, grinning.

"I melted it with a fire jutsu when showing Reiko-san something. And about the comments earlier, it wasn't what it sounded like," Kakashi smiled and sighed. "Stupid Ochi... I have a friendship with the women who own this club... You'll be able to tell why his joke's stupid in a few minutes..."

Sakura smiled and nodded. Sasuke shrugged. Naruto blinked, confused.

"But wha-" He was interrupted when a woman opened the door. She had a rough, weathered face. She'd seen things over the years that any resident of Konohagakure who's lived through the war had. Kakashi had told his team that neither owner had been ninja, but it was hard to believe this woman had never fought a ninja at least. Something was vaguely familiar about her, but none of them could really place it. Her chestnut hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and glasses (sunglasses, Sakura assumed. The woman definately had 20/20 vision) with green frames, resting on her head and facing upwards. A white shirt with frilled laces and a tye-dye skirt showed she had an odd sense of style. It actually looked good on her.

"Hey, gaki. How you doin'?" She smiled when she saw Kakashi. She looked at him odd. "Didn't I just see you yesterday? And who're the kids?"

"Morning, Reiko-san. Guys, this is Umino Reiko, the head of this club..." Kakashi started to explain to his students.

"Umino Reiko? Are you related to Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked, nodding to Kakashi to apologise for interrupting him. The woman grinned.

"Oh, these are Ruka-gaki's kids... Look a bit old for the academy, but...Oh wait, these're your squad? Anyways, I'm his aunt. Glad to meet you, miss. And you two gentlemen... Hoy, Ita, we got company!" the woman offered Sakura her hand as she yelled over her shoulder inside the room. Sakura shook it, smiling, and the woman nodded.

"Come on in, make yourselves at home..." She said, moving inside and gesturing vaguely at the couch. Sasuke sat down, Sakura grinned and sat beside him... And Naruto sat beside her. Kakashi just stood against the wall.

'Damn it!' Her inner voice raged, but she just smacked it away and smiled. 'Oh well, I'm beside Sasuke-kun at least...'

"So..." Reiko leant against the wall opposite Kakashi, grinning. "What're you kids here for? Run outta crayons or somethin'?"

"Actually, Umino-san... Our latest mission is a murder investigation case-" Sakura leaned forwards, smiling hopefully as she was cut off.

"You got kids doin' a Jounin's job? Hatake, have you lost your damn mind? They're kids! This isn't a go beat'em up and walk off C mission? You now murderers always go after the investigators first! I'm not even a ninja and I know THAT!"

Kakashi sighed. "They can handle it. I have great faith in my team's ability to protect themselves-"

"Sure Uchiha-" Here Sasuke flinched, "-and the- the other one can, but the girl? Dealin' with your kind has taught me somethin' about how to tell the beaters from the thinkers, Kakashi! Do you even have anythin' to protect 'em if it gets outta hand?" Reiko glared at him and gave of a humourless chuckle. Her voice deepened in anger. "No wonder it took you so long to get a teachin' position, ne, Kakashi?"

"Reiko..." Kakashi's voice deepened. Sakura bristled... That was his dangerous tone. "I-"

"Kakashi-san! We didn't expect you until tomorrow... Is something wrong? Oh, hello children, I expect you are the genin squad we've heard so much about, ne? Kakashi-san is always talking about how proud he is of you! I'm very glad to meet you!"

A woman had come into the room from an adjoining hallway, speaking hurriedly. She seemed a few years older than Reiko, but that may just have been because of the clothing diffference. from her black skirt that reached her ankles to the blouse and crisp black vest, she was definately well-dressed. She had short-cropped blond hair and a very sculpted face. She wore glasses with thin metal frames on her nose, looking kindly though them at the group. She smiled.

"I love company... It's such a bore, living up here during the week. How I long for the weekend..." She said, crossing the room to close the door they'd left open. She turned around. "I'm Itachi, but you can call me Botan, my nickname. Now, what would you like of us? I'm sure it's very important, we shouldn't waste any time then, ne?"

"Mhm," Sakura nodded. "It's about a few of your employee's..."

"Yes?" Itachi asked, looking puzzled.

"We're working on a murder case, and there were four murdered. All four of them have a connection to this club, through someone close to them," Sakura said, pulling out profiles of the four.

"Who-" Reiko's breath caught in her throat. "Who was murdered?"

"Mitsuko Nori-san and his genin team," Sakura said, looking away. Tears trickled from both Itachi and Reiko's eyes.

Itachi turned away, grasping at a table for a handkerchief. "Nori-kun..."

Reiko bit her lip, took a deep breath, and asked, "Who... who are the employee's?"

"Kumono Suiren, Nori-san's girlfriend. Ukiko Aoi, Ukiko Ikari's mother. Kameno Okami, Kameno Sakujna's older sister. And Uta Hikari, Uta Urake's older sister," Sakura spread the papers on the table for the women.

"I don't recognise-" Itachi, turning back to look, was interrupted by Reiko's gasp.

"Yes, Umino-san?"

"I... I know those names! Suiren said that she'd met Nori-kun's team and gave them the business cards, because two had older sisters looking for a job, and one liked the picture on it. Then, those two joined within a few months, and the mother during the summer sometime... And the two teenage girls are both applying to become singers at the club. We get a wide range of talent agents from other villages, and the girls just dream of getting a chance here..." Reiko said, staring intently at the sheets.

"Yes, they are quite desperate to work here. It's really unfortunate that they don't know we're even hiring..." Itachi said, walking towards the group and looking around the room. "We really are in need of waitresses. Problem is, in a ninja capital, there are few who grow up not destined to be a ninja. Why stay here, most ask, and risk the danger of invasion if not to be a ninja in the only place you can in the country?" The woman smiled wryly. "I can never really answer that question, either. Why do people risk it here? Because businesses flourish, because the government requires certain shops to keep the village, its own base of power, running? I really don't know..."

"Anyways, back on task, yes, all four of these women work here. Suiren is our most popular singer, other than special guests, Hikari and Okami are two of the most promising possible singers, and Aoi is a dedicated waitress. All of these workers are our friends. As for any connection, other than Nori's team and workplace, I can't think of anything. Anything else?" Reiko asked.

"Mhm, Reiko. Can you verify that Suiren was between 1 and 1:30, and the validity of this workslip?" Kakashi pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Mhm..." Reiko grabbed the slip, checked it over, and handed it back. "Yeah, that's all okay. Don't worry about it."

Kakashi took the slip, thanked her, and motioned to the team. As he reached the door, though, Itachi cried out, "Wait! Kakashi-san!"

Kakashi turned, looking interested. "Hm?"

"She didn't leave at 1:30! I remember she slipped out around midnight!" She rushed over to him, pointing out the slip.

Kumono Suiren Sign-in: 8:00am Sign-out: 1 :30am

"The two rubbed off?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't I notice that..."

"I don't know, Kakashi-san... Is it important?" She looked hopeful.

Kakashi sighed, and smiled painfully. "Itachi-san, you just reopened Kumono Suiren as a possible suspect. Thank you... If it was her, you may have just helped us a great deal..."

"Oh no... I hope it wasn't her..." Reiko bit her lip. "I mean, the poor girl's like a daughter to me..."

Kakashi shook his head. "I do hope it wasn't her either... Though, this is very suspicious. It's not just the slip, she told us it was 1:30 when she left... Though, if it's true she lied, why would she mention two people who knew the truth? I think it's safe to say that she's innocent... But, I'll need her resume."

"Resume?" Itachi asked, walking over to a dresser. "Why?"

"A resume has information an official file might consider irrelevant and not have. Thank you, Botan-chan," Kakashi smiled at the nickname as he took the paper. Glancing down at it, he froze.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto... Suiren is an ex-ninja..."

"What?"

----

"So, Suiren-san was a genin until she quit when she was 16, when she started to work at the Lonely Fox. She never even attempted the Chuunin Exam. She entered it with her teammates, every time they graduated and she quit midways in. She soon became the oldest genin in each exam.. Why did she even become one, then?" Sakura looked at her sensei. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmmm... Her parents died when she was 14, and she quit a year later... Hmmm... The Lonely Fox had an opening for a singer, and she knew it was a change for her to shine, I guess. Even though it took her a year to actually become a singer, she knew she'd have to start somewhere..."

"How is she relying on Nori to support her and her son, then? Isn't the position well-paid? I mean, if she's their best, and she's been there for so long..." Sakura looked puzzled.

"Mhm... That looks strange... Where is her paycheck going?" Kakashi mused.

"But, I don't see how this is so important... If she was out at 12:30, she could have been there, but I still don't think she could have killed those kids and the sensei. It doesn't make sense..." Sakura interjected.

"Especially since I've interviewed a few of Nori's friends and family - The two, when seen, seemed in perfect harmony. The two were a perfect match, and Yoshi, Suiiren's son, seemed the perfect thing to hold them together. Even though he wasn't the boy's father, he loved the little guy, apparently..."

"If, she was really after money..." Sasuke said, unexpectedly. "I'd seen many of my cousins married to other families with money, and girls nearly threw themselves at my brother and cousins. A woman was once stalking my father..."

"Wait a second... Suiren-san was having trouble with Social Services, trying to take her child..." Kakashi mused, looking over the papers. "Could the money be a bribe, to keep them away? Did Nori have a problem with this?"

"Hmmm... Kakashi-sensei! We should meet Suiren-san! It isn't fair that we should talk about her without knowing her!" Naruto yelled. Sakura bopped him.

"Not so loud! My neighbours will call us to shut us up , then ask all these nosy questions! Wait, Sasuke-kun! You didn't tell us about your interview with the gambler man!" Sakura said, rushing over. Sasuke frowned and turned his head away, looking annoyed and embarrassed.

"I didn't find out anything."

--- End Chapter Two --- 


	4. Chapter Three: Uta, Keru et Hikari

Sasuke looked around the room with disgust. The bright lights, the cheery noises, all hiding the distgusting filth of gambling. Man after man and woman after woman trailed beside every machine, table and booth. Sasuke just wanted to gag, though his eyes couldn't help lingering on a machine before his thoughts were interrupted by something poking him in the shoulder. 

He looked back at the man standing behind him in a Jounin jacket, and sighed. "What?"

"No underage kid's allowed. Out," The tall man said, gesturing over his shoulder to the door. Sasuke just glared.

"I'm here to see Iwamoto," he said simply. The man nodded and gestured for Sasuke to follow him, going through a number of doors, halls, gambling rooms, etc., etc. Finally the reached a heavy looking door.

"Wait here," The man said simply, walking in. A moment later, he came out and murmured, "Go."

Sasuke slipped inside the room, looking around. This was a fancy room, with gold all over the walls, with plaques etc. Sasuke looked at the man sitting at the desk... or rather, the tuft of hair he could see from over the laptop he was typing at.

"Uchiha Sasuke, right?" He said suddenly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The man continued.

"Here investigating a murder? Murder of... Mitsuko Nori et team? Sorry, I don't know any Mitsuko except the ones who work at my club, and I have a feeling they aren't related. This Nori isn't even a one-time player, according to my database," The man said, flipping the top of the laptop.

The man couldn't be old. Maybe 25, 30, with brown spiky hair and a black headband with 'WIN! WIN!' scrawled in white on it. Black jacket, too, a bit ragged. This guy was a rogue. Why a guy like this was in a room covered in gold, Sasuke didn't know.

"So, then, Sa-su-ke, what the hell is the about?"

The man's blatant lack of manners annoyed Sasuke. Was this man trying to be offensive? "Uta Keru, a man who owes you a lot of money, had a son. His son, Urake, was killed this morning."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you think I killed the squirt? Gimme a break, I run a business, I wouldn't do anything shady like that. Plus, I like the ones that owe," he smiled nastily, "Because they end up spending everything they owe on the machines before they make it to my office, and we still have a reason to keep them under our thumb."

Sasuke seethed inside. This guy was disgusting, exploiting people for his own profit. He must have showed something in his face - the man

"Hey, it's not like every other damn casino doesn't do it! It's not my fault they're so stupid!" He said, leaning over the desk. Then he chuckled, staring into the depths of Sasuke's eyes.

"Kid? You better stay away from those machines, because you? You'll get addicted for sure. It's in your eyes, I've seen it a billion times or more," He said, smiling in a way that shook Sasuke's foundations, a smile that had been seen on missing-nin's and general villains everywhere. The famous sadistic smile. Then he pulled back.

"And kid? I have hemophobia, so I doubt I killed anyone. I have no reason, no 'motive', to kill the kid either. Now shoo, kid, I have a business to run. Maybe you could visit, when your old enough. Just another sucker, kid, another sucker."

Sasuke stood, and left. The man laughed as he closed the door.

"I'll be seeing you, kid! Except next time, it'll be your money in my pocket!"

Sasuke just swore inwardly as he burst out the door into the street. How had he let that guy affect him so much? He only had an hour to get to the Lonely Fox, now...

* * *

Fade to Black  
Chapter Three: Uta, Keru et Hikari  
Alden-san   
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging to Masashi Kishimoto etc., likely belong to me.

* * *

"Nobody's gone to see two of the victim's families - Uta and Ukiko. Sasuke, you should see the Uta family, seeing as you already checked out their other lead. You're in charge of that strand. Naruto, you'll go with him-"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined, rolling his eyes. "I don't wanna go with him! What about Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura will come with me, Naruto, to see Ukiko Aoi. We'll split up, alright? Then, we can go see Suiren-san in the evening. Aoi and Keru need to know about what happened to their children yesterday morning. We sent them a small note with a messenger that we'd come and explain more today. Now, Naruto, Sasuke..." Kakashi made a shoo-ing gesture with his hand.

"Come one, Naruto..." Sasuke grumbled, dragging Naruto out the door as Kakashi and Sakura discussed their targets. "Do you know anyhthing about the Uta clan?"

"Ummm... The redhead's family?"

"Eugh, dobe... Yes, the 'redhead's family. Uta Keru, 38 year old rice merchant with a gambling addiction and his teenage daughter Hikari. Hikari's applying for the singing scholarship at her workplace, the Lonely Fox. I'm guyessing she's aiming for the trial run at the Lost Princess hotel. Even a trial run's pay there could pay off her father's debt."

"Really? Wasn't it really big?" Naruto asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, dobe, it was big. Probably more than your apartment cost," Sasuke said, walking ahead.

"Sasuke, you insulting my apartment, just because I don't have a huge lump of money? Excuuuse me for never having money!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke. "I'm sick of you being high and mighty, Sasuke!"

Sasuke moved slightly to the side as Naruto sprang past him, sighing. "Naruto, we don't have time for this...I didn't mean to insult your apartment, alright? Let's go!"

As Sasuke stormed off, Naruto stood still. Sasuke turned around and glared at him.

"Naruto?" He asked, annoyed.

"Sasuke... You just... That was... You apologised to me? That's... weird..." Naruto screwed up his face. Then he smiled, and bounded ahead. "Thanks, Sasuke, but I'll still beat you!"

Sasuke's trademark smirk appeared. "Yeah right, dobe!"

And he chased after his partner.

-------

"No fair, Sasuke!" Naruto crossed his arms and glared. "If I hadn't tripped..."

"Then I still would have won, Naruto. Now, let's get this over with..." Sasuke walked up the the red door with the paint peeling. Actually, the whole house's paint was peeling - It looked as if if hadn't seen a good paint job in years, decades even.

Sasuke brought his hand up, and knocked soundly, the wood almost giving out to the pressure. He raised an eyebrow, and looked over at Naruto.

"Get off the railing..." Sasuke said, his tone like that of a mother to her hyperactive child, and turned back to the door.

"Awwww..." Naruto whined, in a tone like that of a hyperactive child told off by his mother, and got off the railing. Luckily, it had survived his weight.

The door was yanked open by a teenage girl with long red hair. "Mhm?"

"Uta... Hikari?" Sasuke asked, looking at his sheet.

"Yeah? What?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at something and wincing.

"We came to talk to you and your father... about your brother..." Sasuke said quietly, almost whispering. She froze, closed her eyes, took a breath, and looked at him. She had the most startling grey eyes.

"Alright... I'm really sorry about the mess, but the last while, it's been a nightmare. Even before what happened to Ura... Come in, come in,"She said, leading thm inside to a couch. The carpet, the walls, were speckled wth dirt and there was dust all over. Both boys coughed a little at the dust. The smell of alchohol was in the air, twinging on the scent of dust and, strangley enough, oranges.

"Dad's been on this diet of orange cream and three sandwiches a day, since yesterday... It's really weird. He drinks a little at night, a glass or so - Not enough to get drunk, just enough to ward off the pain, he says. My father has a... a problem with debt, and he gets more worried every day about it... Sit down, please."

The two sat down on the couch opposite her own, both a faded blue and slightly ripped up. The small table in the centre was only kept together by a good amount of duct tape. The light above swung dangerously.

"Your father's in debt... but you hoped to pay it off with money from the Lost Princess Hotel, the job offered to the best singer in the end of the Lonely Fox's singer training program?" Sasuke asked, leaning forwards.

She nodded. "Even the trial show would pay off dad's debt. A month, with one show a week, and we could spruce up this place - New couch, new furniture, new wallpaper. This is our chance! We... we could have sent Ura to his training camp! Dad could get some new clothes, maybe even start dating! Even I could have used a bit of the money! Now, though... Too much is riding on this show, now that Ura's pay isn't there to settle dad's debt. I need this job, we need this job..."

"Wow..." Naruto looked around the room, speechless. He'd never expected a family of three to share a space almost as small as his own tiny apartment.

"Since mom died... I mean, I was only nine, but it seems like forever since I've seen her... When she died in that accident, that's when his gambling started getting out of hand. Our house was so nice, then. Since then, between the rice drop-off and dad's debt, everrything's gone to hell. And now, Ura..." Her eyes clouded up. "My little brother... He was only fourteen...Just hit puberty, and starting out his first 'C' mission with his team that day... I still can't believe that this happened to him. He wasn't the best person, beat up a few kids when he was a brat. And now, It's just so hard... to really believe he's gone. Do you know what I mean?"

"Mhm... Sasuke said, nodding. "It must be hard to lose a- A brother you love."

She nodded. "And if there's anything I can do, to help I mean, I will..."

"I think... we should talk about your father, Hikari-san..." Sasuke said cautiously.

"Oh, dad?" She asked, surprised.

"Mhm," Naruto nodded. "This might've happened... Well..." He looked annoyed at himself for having to ask.

"You think... You think- my dad's debt- What? You think they killed her because dad didn't pay them?" The girl looked incredulous. "I doubt it. After two years, and they haven't even sent a letter about it to us? No... This had to be something else. My brother never told me anything, no worries, nothing about anyone watching them. I can't think he knew about this... That's why it came as such a shock to hear!"

"I see... And were there any other reasons anyone would kill your brother?" Sasuke asked bluntly cracking his neck to the side.

"No!" Hikari yelled. "We don't matter, to anyone! We're just your average crap family, with a gambling father, a deadbeat daughter and her drunk of a twin! We're just worthless pieces of junk, stuck in a tiny little house, that nobody cares about! And when you find whoever this thing was aimed at, my brother's name will be in small print, with about three words: Teammate, Uta Urake! Then. people will be sad for about five second, then throw the paper in the garbage! Then, when they see my dad's debt, they'll add a few words! 'Son of gambler Uta Keru' might work, or 'hopeless sibling of a drunk junkie and a struggling singer', possibly. Then people will sniff their noses at us, and ignore the name 'Uta' for months, offended by our family's 'lack of care' for my brother!"

Naruto's eyes were widened at this outburst, and he stopped leaning back on the couch. "You... I'm so sorry..."

"No, no, it's my fault... I have a lot of pent up anger and grief... You find the bastard who did ths, alright?" She stood. "Thank you for coming here... Sorry for the quick goodbye but I have work in an hour and I have to be ready... It's our family's paycheck, you know..."

"Alright, alright..." SAsuke said, standing. "Naruto, come on..."

Naruto followed Sasuke outside, shaking his head. At the last moment, he waved goodbye at Hikari. She smiled a little, and waved back.

-------

"Poor Hikari-san..." Naruo said, his face locked in a thoughtful frown as he followed Sasuke's rough steps.

"She's got it hard, but so do most people in Konoha. Get over it, dobe," Sasuke said balnkly, quickening his pace. Naruto was soon left behind

"Sasuke! Don't be such a bastard all the time! Even you have to care about that sort of thing!" Naruto yelled, running after Sasuke and tackling. The two rolled around the ground for a few moments, Naruto grabbing and tickling and hitting, Sasuke pushing his friend away.

Soon enough, Naruto was thrown into the wall, and sporting a large bump on his head. He frowned. "You'll laugh someday, Sasuke-bastard..."

"Yeah right, dobe... Let's get back to Kakashi's, see what they learned..."

Naruto smacked Sasuke over the head and ran off. Sasuke grinned, and took off. The chase was on...

"No fair, Sasuke! You tripped me!"

--- End Chapter Three ---


	5. Chapter Four: Ukiko Clan

It was dark. It was quiet. That was all Sakura could discern from the area around her. Pitch black, cold, silent. The rock floor under her feet seemed to sway dangerously.Her ears caught snatches of sound, of noise...

Save us...

What was that? Was she going crazy? Had the darkness lifted, just a tad? She thought, if she strained her eyes-

Who killed us? Find them...

-She could almost see something. A creaking sound, faint. She turned around, looking behind her. The creaking noise was all around her, and it was-

Please, keep them safe. nothing can hurt us anymore...

-Getting louder. Light was slowly filtering into the cave, for she knew, somehow it was a cave. It was becoming lighter and lighter, and she became more and more terrified-

What happened to us?

Something was swinging from the ceiling... Four bodies, swinging from the ceiling, surrounding her-

Avenge us, please...

The light was almost blinding, and the voices had grown from whispers to faint yells. She couldn't close her eyes-

A carving into stone-

SAVE US

-  
Fade to Black Chapter Four: Ukiko Clan Alden-san Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging to Masashi Kishimoto etc., likely belong to me.  
-----------------

She woke, breathing hard, in her dark room. This mission was really affecting her nerves. That dream had seemed so real. She pushed off the covers, and stood, shakily. She walked to the kitchen, and pulled open the fridge to get some milk.

"Sakura-chan?" Her mother called from the hall. "Are you okay, baby?"

"I'm fine, mum!" She called back. "Just a nightmare!"

"Okay, dear... Are you sure you're okay?" Her voice was twinged with concern, as well as the expected sleepiness. She was barely awake.

"I'm fine, mum! Go back to sleep!"

"Okay, honey!"

Sakura sighed, closing her eyes for a second to calm herself down. The nightmare had terrified her... Though it was nothing she hadn't seen just days ago. She needed to calm herself down.

Looking out the window at the darkness, she readied herself some breakfast. In a few short hours, the race to find the murderer, who might not have finished killing, would begin again.

-----

Later that afternoon, Sakura was still shaking from her nightly encounter. Kakashi had talked to her the instant he saw yhe, and she insisted she could handle it. He'd backed down - he trusted her. Now, he was handing out assignments for today.

"Nobody's gone to see two of the victim's families - Uta and Ukiko. Sasuke, you should see the Uta family, seeing as you already checked out their other lead. You're in charge of that strand. Naruto, you'll go with him-"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined. "I don't wanna go with him! What about Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed, looking around the room. Why couldn't he just accept a job as it was?

"Sakura will come with me, Naruto, to see Ukiko Aoi. We'll split up, alright? Then, we can go see Suiren-san in the evening. Aoi and Keru need to know about what happened to their children yesterday morning. We sent them a small note with a messenger that we'd come and explain more today. Now, Naruto, Sasuke..." Kakashi made a shoo-ing gesture with his hand. The two left out the back, and he turned back to Sakura. "Now, Sakura..."

"Mhm, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"You have the Ukiko files, right?"

"Mhm. Kakashi-sensei, tell me about the Bloodline of the Ukiko Clan... What is it? Why would anyone wipe it out? I mean, other than just to get rid of the danger of it... And how did such a powerful clan get so wounded in one attack?" Sakura said, rummaging through the files. Kakashi slid out one from the pile, opening it.

"It was a very well planned attack. A group of Mist-nins snuck in at night, somehow - Some say it was a mist-nin with a travel visa who opened the gate - and let them in. They proceeded to the Ukiko Clan Village and snuck through, murdering whole families silently while they slept."

"That's horrible!" Sakura said, looking up at him.

"It was. I was about eight at that time, so I learned most about it when I was older. Researching the old battles for advanced ninja classes. The Ukiko slaughter is a staple study, because it's obvious that the Mist employed ytheir assasins to kill their opponent, but they flat-out refused. Even when presented with the evidence, they refused to admit to it, even if it wasn't penalised during times of war to invade a village to murder sleeping ninja at that time. There were a good number of mist bloodline evidence, too..."

"Why the Ukiko Clan, though, Kakashi-sensei? Was it that important, as to risk that many people, to kill the Ukiko?"

"You see Sakura, only about 30 or less of history's bloodlines are originals. The rest evolved from another similar to it. Pretty much all bloodlines of tofday are traced back to their roots, fifteen bloodlines from three centuries ago. Five were lost without evolving into something new. Two more were lost, along with all of their variations. Two only have few surviving members living. Six families remain pure - The Hyuuga of the Leaf is only one. There were two more recent losses - The Kaguya, maybe two years ago, and the Fuyu of the Mist, I think were lost 17 years ago... Haku, from when we fought at Mist Country, was probably from the last of the Fuyu, actually. Not to mention Clan Wars during the wars. The Ukiko themslves had a brutal fight with the Fubuki clan of the Mist, and almost wiped the whole clan out, almost fourty years ago... Decades before I was born, way back during the wars..." At Sakura's nod, he continued.

"Anyway, the Tamashigan is another genetic mutant from the Byakugan. It was caused when Uchiha Nyoubou married a nameless man, homeless and living on the streets. He picked the name Ukiko, because it sounded nice... Maybe his genes had some latent anamoly, but something mutated the Sharingan. Their child had golden eyes, and his glares were an anomaly. They were, at the time, rumoured to steal the souls of whoever he turned it against..." Kakashi waited as Sakura gasped.

"Y-you mean..." Her eyes were wide, and she swallowed. "You mean their son could.."

"No... The victims were blank-eyed, barely alive zombies, but they woke only hours later, deeply affected by some sort of trauma, a hallucination... At it's most developed, the Tamashigan, as it was named, has killed. Of course, this takes an enormous amount of chakra, and the use of it's abilities eventually wear away the sanity of the user until they are mere shells, to the danger of themselves and everyone around them. Besides, it's a rare prodigy that can use this ability. Maybe not even physically possible for most Tameshigan users."

"That... that's terrifying, Kakashi-sensei. I can see why they would have enemies, I mean..." Sakura stumbled on her words. Kakashi ruffled her hair.

"In the century the Tameshigan has been around, only two have mastered that skill. Ukiko Kinzoku and Ukiko Yagi, two of the most famous ninja in history. This skill also shows itself in the young, peraps around fourteen or fifteen, so we'd know, probably. So don't worry, Sakura, there aren't any nowadays. If there are, it will have to be a latent ability in a younger ninja, or someone would know, right? Anyways, we won't have to worry much about it here. Aoi, the mother, married into the family. From what I hear, she's a crone. Not literally, too young, but definately in spirit. Her son, Ikari's older brother Kurai, is a seventeen-year-old writer who split his familial ties long ago and hates being stuck looking after his mother, now that Ikari is gone," Kakashi explained, pulling his Jounin jacket from the wall.

"Hm..." Sakura packed away the files. "Do you think either of them could have killed Mitsuko-san? I mean... He was a a Jounin, wasn't he?"

Kakashi nodded. "I doubt the old woman or the son could have managed to kill three second-year genin, then wipe out a Jounin. Of course, for all we know, there could have been multiple killers... But neither of these two have any reason to be involved. There was a fair bit of money left in place for Ikari by his father, but he adored his mother and bought her anything she wanted, if he could afford it. He was fond of his brother, too. Ikari was apparently a great kid, the opposite to his rather troubled teammate Urake..."

They were in the street now, speaking in rushed whispers as they made their way down to the Ukiko's little house.

"What was wrong with Urake?" Sakura asked.

"He was a punk. He'd beat up his classmates, even his teacher. Up until he graduated. Then he started to change. People said it was the affect of having to be with the same three people all the time. Anyways, now Aoi and her son live together in Aoi's house. She told him that if he didn't move in with her, she'd leave everything to the Lonely Fox and that would be that."

"Kakashi-sensei? How do you know all these things? I mean, you haven't intervieweed these people yet, and you already know the state of all their affairs..." Sakura asked, looking up at her sensei's masked face.

"I hear a lot of things through imformants around the city..."

"Informants... Kakashi, you mean there are spies who report to you?" Sakura was taken aback. This was something new. She'd known that the Hokage and the people working for him probably had spies in place, to make sure nothing happened to the people. But her own sensei, commanding spies?

"These informants are only here for this job," Kakashi said, and stopped. He turned, and kneeled down to look at Sakura in the eye. "You do know how dangerous a case like this is, don't you, Sakura?"

"There's no way a case about a dead Jounin is a Level C," Sakura answered flatly. "This is, at the very least, a B level... And with those kids dead, I think this is either very high B, or even a low A. Kakashi-sensei... Are genin even supposed to be on such a vital case?"

"Sakura.. I have faith in you three. I wouldn't take a case I thought you couldn't do."

'Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,' she thought as they walked up the steps to the Ukiko house. As Kakashi reached for the bell, the door opened.

"Took you long enough."

A woman was standing there, glaring angrily at them. She was slightly shorter than Kakashi, with faded black hair done up in a bun. She was wearing a simple dress, a floral design - A style for someone much younger than Ukiko Aoi. "Get the hell in here and tell me what happened to my son."

The two followed the woman's brisk pace to the back of the house, and gestured to some faded lawn chairs. She sat down herself.

"Kurai! Get your ass down these steps! Those ninja are here about Ikari!" She yelled up. Somebody slid through the wind, landing on his feet. His knees were bent slightly to minimize impact, so he straightened up when he saw Kakashi.

Sakura scanned him. Long silver hair, a white t-shirt that reached to halfway to his knees, and jeans. Informal wear. Sunglasses. What really intrigued her, though, were the scars across his arm, spaced from under his sleeve to the wrist. He apparently wasn't a ninja, and those were too perfectly spaced to be accidents...

"Sir?" He nodded respectfully to Kakashi, and to Sakura. "Ummm... well... What happened to Ikari? Did... did it happen... Was he in pain when he died? I mean..." He looked at the ground. "How did he die?"

"Your brother... He died quickly. I'm sorry for your loss, both of you," Kakashi lowered his head, and Sakura followed suit. Aoi gave a bitter, humourless chuckle.

"Yeah, sure, Jounin. Just find the bastard who did this, and I don't care if you pissed on my boy's cold, dead body. He's in a better place now, you know," She said, crossing the room and shuffling through the drawer, finally pulling out a lighter and cigarette. Lighting it, she smiled at Sakura's look of shock and raised it to her lips.

"Now, I know you fancy-pancy 'investigators' gotta ask me what I ate for breakfast on my ninth birthday, so let's get this over with. Ta- Kurai, sit down. Now, what do you kids need to know?" Aoi pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at Kakashi peevishly. Her son and guests took seat around the table.

"Where were you, Aoi-san, between 1am and 5am, night before last?" Kakashi asked, bluntly.

She grinned. "This is ridiculous. Anyways, I was asleep. My sleeping pills knock me out all night. Can't account for Tak- Kurai, here, though. For all I would be able to tell, he could have murdered my neighbour, brought his wife here, raped her in front of me, strangled her and burned down the house, and I'd keep on sleepin'. Now, Takeshi, don't you start tut-tuttin' me, there's no point in sugar-coating life."

"Takeshi?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

The woman smiled. "Takeshi's the name I gave him, but that louse of a father called him Kurai. Damn unsuitable name for a child, but I guess he lived up to it. Such a grouchy boy all the time. Then, 'Ikari' of all things... My husband wasn't the happiest man in the world, you know. What happened to him? Got his throat slit and his wallet stolen in some back alley 'cause he was lazy, didn't take the right streets."

"And you, Kurai... Where were you?" Kakashi asked.

"I was with my girlfriend, Ikuko. Yamaguchi Yukiko. I slept at her place. We were asleep by 2 and woke up at 9. Then, I came home and got to work, alright?" Kurai shrugged, leaning back on his chair.

"What do you do for a living, Kurai?"

"I'm a writer, working on a masterpiece. Gonna blow this whole town outta the water, revalutionize the way of modern thinking. Did you know that the Sandaime Raikage's assasins murdered a man for his invention, to keep it away from the rest of the world? Things like that get out, you know. A little research here and there and you get everything you need," Kurai stood up and walked to the fridge. "Anyone for drinks?"

"No thanks, we're fine. Aoi-san, do you know of any reason someone would want to kill your son, or any of his teammates?" Kakashi looked at Aoi intently. She stared back.

"My late husband's family weren't the most well-liked by a lot of people - incidentally, a lot of people who could kill them. It's lucky you can't harvest a dead Ukiko's eyes, or even living, or else there'd have been a few... donations around," She smiled poisonously, her eyes flickering to Kakashi's hidden one, then to her son. "Takeshi-kun, could you get me some tea? My indigestion..."

"Of course... mother," he said, getting out a mug from a cupboard.

"Now, Jounin, I'm not going to splice words. That teacher, it was his fault, fooling around with his little whore, should've known he was playing with a bit more than fire. I checked into him, heavily, when I knew he was teaching my precious little son," Aoi grinned maliciously. "The pathetic little singer girl? She got honours in every ninja class, a prodigy of her damn age group. Graduated two years before schedule... A year before your 'esteemed' Jounin friend, and she a year younger than he was! I bet he dumped her, and the little slut got him back good. Or his dancer ex-wife, that Kimikaru girl... Didn't know about her, did you? A little marriage a few years back, then it ended ugly when she and his best friend got... intimate. He dumped her hard, annulled it completely without her permission... And I'm betting she weren't too happy about that, were she? Oh yeah, that was a happy little story. I know the dirt on anyone, Jounin, the stuff you can't find anywhere else."

Kakashi looked at the woman, sincerely surprised. this was a side of Nori that he hadn't seen... and of Suiren. Was it, could it be true? These were things that he couldn't find normally, not knowing to look for them. Now he'd be able to check it out.

"It that so?" he asked, in a mildly interested tone.

"Mhm. It really hurts that my kid's related to hers, too. Her kid is the son of my late... husband's nephew, Mitsuyoshi. That kids was a star, shame he got mowed down. But that's how you ninja are, right? Good at dying, mhm..." she stood. "I believe I have an appointment with my late husband's family..."

He stood. "Thank you, Aoi-san, and Kurai, for letting us take up so much of your time. I may need to speak to you again at a later date, but otherwise, I guess this is goodbye. Sakura..."

Sakura stood, grabbing her jacket. She bowed, and thanked her hostess and her son. Kurai touched his sunglasses in salute. "I'll be seeing you, kid."

----

The four had gone to Kakashi's house, the most comfortable for all of them. It was an interesting place, not strange, but interesting. They could have had fun wandering around, if not for why they'd went there in the first place: To discuss their mission.

"So... suspects for Nori are his annulled ex-wife, who I found out is named Kimikaru Harume, and Kumono Suiren. Both have opportunity, but only Harume has foreseeable motive and only Suiren, maybe, with the skill to maneuvre such a murder... Suspects for Sakujna, bare. Father and maid have no alibi, but the maid's completely useless in the fight and the neither has a reason. Ikari, no real leads - Brother's alibi needs to be checked, but he has no motive, probably not the skill to carry it off and a smooth alibi. Urake, gambling man is still a suspect, but not a very strong one. His thugs could have completed the deed, but I think it would have been made obvious to Keru who the focus was. So..." Kakashi hung his head. "We're missing something, I know it. I still believe that Nori was the focus, the crime was so... so personal..."

"Mhm, Kakashi-sensei, that's completely right. Sasuke-kun, what do you think?" Sakura asked Sasuke, smiling at him. He sighed.

"The wounds on Mitsuko obviously point to him, but I'm having trouble accepting that at face value. I know there aree still things missing..." Sasuke pondered, closing his eyes. "Hey, Naruto! What do you think?"

"Huh, what? Sasuke, you're asking me?" Naruto was taken aback, looking at Sasuke with an eyebrow raised.

"Just answer the question, dobe."

"Heyyyyy!" Naruto whined, then stopped. "I think... I think it was the gambling man. Iwaruko..."

"Iwamoto..." Sakura groaned, hitting Naruto lightly over the head. "Why, Naruto?"

"Instinct..."

"Knew it," Sakura rolled her eyes.Then she stood, looking at Kakashi to ask, "Popcorn? Fat-free, or light or something?"

"Upper-right corner cupboard, Sakura... Now..." Kakashi shifted through the files. "Is anyone going to check out Yamanaka Keitarou's family? There's a lead we forgot to check earlier..." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, tell me more about the Ukiko Clan! Maybe I'll understand that horrible woman a bit more!" Sakura yelled from the kitchen. After a few beeps from the microwave, she made her way into the kitchen.

"Okay, Sakura! The Ukiko Clan- Hmmm?" Kakashi looked over his shoulder.

Someone was pounding on the door.

"Wait a second for that answer, Sakura..."

Kakashi stood, and walked over towards it. It was rather late... Who could it be? He opened the door, and his eyes widened. Kameno Riku was standing there, tears running down her face, with a teenage girl. The girl was about Kakashi's height, with long black hair and a familiar face. She spoke, looking into Kakashi's visible eye.

"Are you the Jounin involved with my sister's death?"

Kakashi nodded.

"I know the guy who killed her. It was my cheating bastard of a father... and it's all my fault..."

--- End Chapter Four --- 


	6. Chapter Five: Adultery

Konoha was dark as she looked around, and shivered. It was cold at night, here at home. She smiled, so glad to be home. The mountains were beautiful, and the girls had been great, but there was no place like home.

It would've taken a week to get home, but Fuuko-sensei had driven her back in her own wagon, since they were both going back to Konoha and there was room for Okami. That meant she could get home within two days! And now, she was gloriously home, back to her sister and parents and her own room...

Hikari hadn't gotten to go to the singing course. Okami smiled - Anything to edge her past Hikari, to get that deal at The Lost Princess, given to the best singer, with two runner-ups working steadily at Lonely Fox. Not that the Lonely Fox wasn't a good aspiration, but any singer who was anyone in Fire Country had at least a trial run at Lost Princess Hotel, a place where the richest of the rich, even the daimyo's wives, called home every so often. To get to Lost Princess was every singer's dream.

And Kameno Sakujna was not going to be beat out of her dream by Uta Hikari. Not now, not ever.

She traced the edge of the path home silently, hoping to surprise her family... Well, everyone but her father, who was a Jounin, and could tell she was coming from a long way away, she bet. Sneaking quietly, she hid beside the glass back door, ready to jump in. She opened it an inch.

That's when she heard something. Laughing, moaning... and a shriek.

Okami knew all three of these voices... None of whom were her mother's.

Her father's laughter. Kimiko's voice.

And Saku's scream.

Turning, she headed for the door. She saw Sakujna burst into the room, looking around for a way to escape. She took a step towards the door. Then, her father appeared in the doorway, looking like a god in his fury, a crimson sheet wrapped around his body like a robe. Picking his daughter up and holding her by her arms onto the wall, he brought his face close to hers. Okami could hear his voice clearly, as if the rest world had gone silent. Her breath was caught in her throat.

"Saku..." She could hear him through the slight opening in the door. His voice was rough, his breathing labourous, unlike anything Okami had heard from her father before. "Saku, if you tell your mother- no, if you tell ANYONE you saw me and Kimiko- what you saw, I'll have to kill you. You are my beloved daughter, but if you tell a single soul, nothing can or will keep me from snapping your neck."

Okami's eyes widened, and she did the first thing that came into her mind.

She ran.

-  
Fade to Black Chapter Five: Adultery Alden-san Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc. All of the characters not belonging to Masashi Kishimoto etc., likely belong to me.  
-----------------

"I stayed in a hotel since then, with some money Mum gave me to spend. I didn't want anyone to know, I needed to think... If I'd gone back, maybe I... I might have been able to save her from him!" Okami struggled to control herself, tears threatening to break free. "I haven't left my room in two days, living off room service and little bottles of soap and stuff they leave there. I couldn't call and let you know I was home, because... Because I was afraid of something, and I don't even know what! That he would find out and threaten me too? I wasn't sure! And now, Saku's dead, along with the rest of her team..."

Naruto's eyes had been wide all during her tale. "Y-y-you mean, Kaoru-san... He..."

Okami nodded. "In the same bed he and Mum share, too! That bastard..." She turned to her mother. "Mum, if we charge him, he'll go down hard! We can be free of him! He and that slut can go to hell!"

"B-b-but... I don't want to hurt anyone..." Riku's eyes were filled with tears.

A long time ago, adultery was punished with straight out beheading. If someone could prove you were sleeping with someone other than your spouse, then you would be killed. However, in many hidden villages, ninja (especially those with power) tended to stray from the faithful path, leading to a loss of life almost overtaking number of deaths during C level missions. When it was shown that some of the age's greatest warriors were being killed this way, the Kage's decided this: When a spouse in a Hidden Country was proved adulterous, the aggrieved spouse would decide the fate of his or her unfaithful partner.

Riku could save the man that had betrayed her. She didn't want anyone to die.

She could save the one who may have killed her daughter, their daughter. That would be unforgivable.

"I... I can't decide, right now..." She shook her head. "This is too much for one night... Kakashi-san, Naruto-san, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san... Is there a place we could stay?"

Kakashi stood. "If you're afraid for your safety, a safe living quarters can be arranged. Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, you get around these two. We're escorting them to a safer place. We might not have much time."

The four surrounded the mother and daughter, and made their way to the Konoha-nin missions office.

------

"What do you mean, you aren't convinced? He gave a false alibi, and refuses to explain what he was doing at the time, refuses to give any witnesses. He threatened one of the ones killed, who knew about his adultery, and had enough strength to kill the whole team. He was smart enough to fake the target, to make itr seem as if he was after Nori. He had ablity, opportunity and motive. What more do you need, Sakura?"

Kakashi looked at Sakura, who had looked away in guilt. The group had taken the two women to the missions office, which alos worked as for interrogation and as a safehouse. Now, Naruto was staying with tghe two to calm them down, while Sasuke had gone to summon some Jounin for Kaoru's arrest.

"I just... I have a feeling there's something missing, Kakashi-sensei!" She suddenly looked up at him. He saw a frightened determination. "I think that, whatever Kameno-san has done, he didn't kill Sakujna or the rest... Wait... Kakashi-sensei, ask him why he can't explain his alibi!"

"What do you mean? No matter what it is, it will save him, Sakura! Unless, he was koilling someone else, but that... that's a ridiculous thought!" Kakashi turned, pacing lengthways down the hall.

"There's another thing worthy of death, one that would take his name off any honour role. Murder can't..." Sakura led off, and Kakashi paused.

".. Murder can't remove his honours... but adultery would be able to! So, if he gives proof that he's innocent that shows his disloyalty to his wife, it would be a trade-down, so he can't afford to... Sakura, what would I do without you?" Kakashi turned to his student.

She smiled. "Anyways, Kakashi-sensei... There's something I gotta do. Just give me free rein for one day, and I think I can figure it out...I still think Nori-san was the target still. I just need a few interviews to clear things up..."

"Alright, Sakura, you go and work out your interviews. I'll take care of the Kameno's. Naruto will probably stay with Riku-san anyways, and Sasuke will want to help me with the husband's interrogation."

"Thank you so much, sensei! I won't disappoint you!" Sakura called, running out of the building.

---

Sakura jogged down the street, to an all-too familiar flower store from her youth. Breathing a little harder as she opened the door, she worried. She and Ino hadn't been on very friendly terms for years, but Sakura hoped there was still enough friendship left between them for a favour or two.

Sakura saw Ino at the counter as she walked up to her, looking down at her hands.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Ino's voice held a worried tone, as she leaned forwards. "Did something happen...?"

"Umm... Hi Ino..." Sakura looked down a bit. "I sort of need a favour..."

Ino said, "Ah," smiled a little, and dragged Sakura around the counter and up the stairs to her bedroom. She flung Sakura onto the bed and sat on a chair, looking into her face.

"Sakura... Are we officially friends again? I mean, I'm still going to get Sasuke, but... we might as well not fight about it so much, right? Rivals in love, but still friends... right?" Sakura saw a starved flash in Ino's eyes, before she blinked, stopped, and leaned back.

"Well... I mean, you probably came for something else... I mean, I don't see why I jumped to conclusions, Sakura, so don't worry... What did you want?" Ino seemed annoyed, suddenly. At Sakura, at herself? Sakura couldn't tell.

"Ino... I did come here for something else..." She started uncomfortably, as Ino looked away, as if to say 'Of course'.

"... But... I do want to be friends again. I mean it... I was being stupid, all that time ago, and... That doesn't mean I'm giving up Sasuke-kun, but..." Sakura stopped as Ino leapt forwards, hugging Sakura, and grinning.

After a second, she sat up. "Thanks, Sakura... I'm glad that we're friends, sort of, again... Now, what were you here for?"

"You heard about the murdered genin team, Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Mhm... that was brutal... What about it?" Ino responded, sounding curious. "Have an interest in murders now, hitai?" Ino grinned as she said her trademark 'insult'.

"Well, Ino-pig," Sakura grinned, then sobered, "Well, our team... we're supposed to investigate, find the murderer..."

"Wow, Sakura, you guys are in deep... Why are you here, though? What can I do?" Ino looked confused.

"Well, the sensei who died... One of his teammates died when he was young, and I need to talk to the teammates family..." Sakura eased into the subject slowly, trying not to shock Ino into refusing.

"Do I... know them...?" Ino was completely oblivious now.

"Ino... You're sort of... related to them..."

---

"Kaoru-san..." Riku looked away as her husband stepped into the room, biting her lip. She stood in the corner of the white room, with her eyes closed.

"Riku... Why're you here? What's happened, is everyone okay?" Kaoru looked frantic as the door closed behind him as he stepped forwards to comfort his wife. She raised a hand, and he stopped.

"What going on, Riku?" He asked again, slipping his Jounin vest off. "Is there news about Saku's death?"

"She knows, bastard."

Kaoru's eyes widened as he turned quickly. "Okami? I thought you were at school, or were coming home! Those trips take weeks!"

"She knows what you did. What you were doing with Kimiko, and what you did to Saku," Okami's voice was blank as she stared flatly into her father eyes. "Something we can never forgive."

"What? Riku..." Kaoru turned to his wife. "Riku... I love you, you know that... Come on, let's go home..."

He stepped forwards, and she shrunk back. He froze, and started shaking.

"You little slut..." he whispered, turning to Okami, his voice growing to a hostile tone. "We raise you, give you EVERYTHING a girl should have, and this is how you treat us? I take care of you like any good father does, and still you do this? Look at your mother, what this is doing to her! Okami, you're destroying this family for your own vindictive pleasure, just to get rid of me? Using Saku's death, even?"

"Don't you play innocent, you cheating- you lying- You BASTARD!" Okami screamed. "I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

"Okami, why do you do this to me? Ever since you were born, you've hated me! Why do you hate me? I'm your DAMN FATHER! I loved your sister more than I can say, and you know that! I love your mother more than anything in this world, and never- NEVER- would I hurt her like this! Yuo come home in secret, sneak around, just to spread lies about me?"

"How dare you act like this, like you aren't the one who's destroying our family? You're the one who's in bed with the maid, the one who murdered your own damn daughter! I don't care what you say, you're going to die for it!" Okami yelled.

Kaoru stepped towards is daughter, slowly...

And the doorknob turned.

---

"Yamanaka Koimaru? Kouya? I'm... I'm here about a murder case..." Sakura said, wincing as she said it.

"You mean, they have a child working on a murder case? What kind of connection could it be? I haven't heard anything about a death..." Koimaru, the older brother of Nori's former teammate, said. He was a well-off jounin. At 32, he was well on his way to an early retirement. His Jounin vest was laid on the arm of the couch, and his hand rested on it. The other rested in his older sister's.

"Hmmm... You're a friend of Ino's? She told us you needed to speak with us quickly on something very important..." Kouya, the 36-year-old jounin, was the eldest of the three siblings. She looked quite a bit like an older Ino, with her hair down and lipstick on. She smiled.

"Now... Haruno-san, why specifically did you need to speak to me and my brother?" She asked, genuinely curious. "I won't lie, you should know as much from Ino. We follow the same stingent truth code our father does."

"Okay... I wanted to ask you about your brother's death..." Sakua said slowly.

"Kentaro-chan?"

"No, Keitarou... He died over a decade ago, but I hope you can still help me. His past teammate, Mitsuko Nori, died three days ago... And I think there's some connection to what happened 16 years ago to him and his team."

"Oh... Nori-kun... We were so horrible to him and Kikyou, weren't we, after Keitarou died... After a while, we learned sense and made up with them. It's so sad to hear he's died too... What do you need to know?" She asked, leaning forwards to hear Sakura as she took a breath.

"I want to know, as much as you can tell me, about that day..." Sakura said, her hand trembling as she pushed her pen to the paper.

The siblings shared a glance, and they started to talk

---

"Riku..."

Kaoru sat in front of his wife, and slid a hand across the table to take hers into his. She trembled, but didn't pull back. Kaoru smiled weakly.

"Riku, I love you so much. You've been a faithful wife, mother to my children, keeper to my house. You've been all I've ever needed, all I ever wanted... At least, I thought so..."

She looked at the floor, and his breath caught in his throat.

"I didn't kill our daughter. I loved Sakujna more than anything, and I can only barely register that she won't ever be in my arms again. She was my precious cub, my little bird, my angel. She was the best thing in my life... I mean... I love you, but Saku was my daughter, my baby," He said, folding her hand into both of his. "I will always love you. I meant for us to be happy, because I knew divorce would leave you out on the streets alone, and neither of us would be happy. I knew, as my wife, you could have anything you could ever want. And our children, I wanted the best for them... They needed their mother. But... Well, I need your promise before we go any furthur."

She nodded, and he continued. "If they continue to investigate me for Saku's death, they'll waste time searching for evidence that could put me as the killer. Find some invent some, and I'm convicted of murder, and off goes my head. There's only one way to settle this quickly, I have to prove my innocence... But if I do, I may die. So, if the chance comes... will you save my life?" He stared at her downturned face. "If it means finding our daughter's killer, and saving the life of the man you once loved, and maybe still love... I mean, I don't deserve it after what I've done, but for Saku, would you save my life?"

She looked up, into his eyes.

"Would you?"

---

"So, Keitarou and his sensei... they were killed by mist missing-nin? I mean, that... That's what Nori-san and Kikyou-san told you?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm... Kurama-sensei... His head was completely frozen... His brain shut down while the rest of his body was warm... It was horrible..." Koimaru said, shaking his head. "And our brother died of a sword wound in the heart... And three of the mist bastards survived, too..."

"Ummm... What about Keitarou's other teammate, Kikyou-san? Where is she?" Sakura asked, leaning forwards. "She might be able to help me, having been there."

"Sakura-san? I don't think Kikyou-san could help you... She died eight years ago, in two weeks, on a mission to Earth Country."

"Oh my... That's horrible- Wait... I think... Thank you for talking to me, Yamanaka-san, Yamanaka-san... I really have to go..."

Sakura stood, bowed politely, and rushed out of the room, muttering incoherantly under her breath. She headed towards the Missions Office, determinedly walking as fast as she could.

---

"Kameno Kaoru, age 37. Uwaki Kimiko, age 25. You are both charged with adultery against Kameno Riku. You have both pleaded guilty, acceeding family wealth to Riku in case of reprieve. Have you anything to say on the matter?"

The judge looked at the two harshly, looking down at them from their seats. The room was small, only: a large chair for the judge; a small table for the group three Jounin, overseeing the case; a chair in the corner for the recorder; a table for Riku and Okami; and a table for the accused, Kaoru and Kimiko. Kimiko stood.

"When I took this job at the Kameno house, I planned on spending my time in the pursuits of a maid, then finding a nice boyfriend and settling down. But... Kaoru-san, once in the months after my hiring, invited me to the bedchamber. Riku-san was watching Sakujna-chan in the Academy, and I was afraid of being fired if I refused my boss's requests. It was a rare, well-paying job for someone like me in this village, so it was important to keep this job. But... afterwards, I felt no regrets. Kaoru-san, he... he was like no-one I'd ever been with. He was gentle, kind... I didn't understand, I swore to myself 'He's a decade older than you are! Get a grip...' I swore I'd imagined it, and even if I hadn't, I was just a distraction for him. A powerful, wealthy Jounin with a family, with a maid? You see what I mean.

"But, as this happened more often, and more often, it didn't change. sometimes, we didn't even... Well, we pursued other things. We read, talked, drank large amounts of foreign drinks. Finally, he admitted something to me: He told me he loved me. And I told him I loved him. I know that I felt ridiculous,embarrassed, but Kaoru-san... He gave me somewhere I belonged, something I hadn't had - My parents were always either out on missions, or drunk. I spent a lot of time out of my house. With Kaoru-san, though, I just loved living, waiting until our next meeting. Riku-san, " She turned her head, addressing her, "I'm sorry about how this must feel for you, but I don't feel sorry for what I did. It was worth it, every bit of it.

"Kaoru-san talked a lot about you, and his children. He always felt like he was betraying you and your children, but he said he lived for those moments, as I did. So if you decide I need to die for this, at least spare your husband - He still loves you, even if he isnt physically in love with you. He loves you and your daughter, and loved Sakujna more than he could ever say."

Kimiko sat down, looking relieved, as if she were glad to finally get it out into the open. She nodded to Kaoru, who stood.

"Riku-san, I never meant to hurt you. I love you, and I love our family. I could never abandon you three, or even two now- give you a divorce and leave you on the street? That would be too cruel, I thought. I never expected this would happen. I wanted to give you and our daughters a nice place to live, everything you wanted. I showed you as much love as I dared, without showing too much, enough to how you my feelings weren't yours alone. If I died on a mission, than you would be wellwatched over, and you, I hoped, wouldn't fire Kimiko because you, I hoped, would never know. That way, all the ones I loved would be happy.

"Alas, it wasn't my turn to die. Saku was stolen from us, sending suspicion to all parties. Everyone distrusted eachother. I wasn't even sure about my own family - Who could do something like this? And then, the fact that Saku had seen me only a few days prior, with Kimiko... I'd tried to explain it to her, but she wouldn't listen after I threatened her, then apologised. She forgave that outburst after a few hours,however - She knew me too well to really suspect me trying to kill her. I finally explained the situation to her. She understood my feelings, and prosmised not to hurt her mother by telling her what happened. Only two days later, my beloved daughter was dead. And now we are, on the verge of saving her... I want to live to see the bastard who killed my daughter brought to justice, that's all... that's... all..." Kaoru's eyes threatened to tear, and he sat down, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Well, Kameno-san?" The judge turned to Riku. See had tears in her eyes, and shook her head.

"Let them go... I'll be fine, just to return to my maiden name... Please keep Okami's name, however. People need to know who her father was, in case... in case it might help her in the world..." Riku said, as Okami exploded.

"Mum? What do you mean? I don't want that cheating bastard's name! I refuse to keep his disgusting title" Okami yelled, shaking her mother's shoulder. "Don't do that!"

Riku sighed. "Let Okami have whatever name she wishes. I only want the best for her."

"Ruled! Charges dropped against Kameno Kaoru and Uwaki Kimiko. Divorce and maiden name given - Tsukino Riku and Tsukino Okami, you are free to go. You two, I want you to come with us - we've heard there's some important evidence you have pertaining to the Nori case...

---

Kaoru led Kakashi, and his wife to a small hotel on the edge of town.

"Hatake-san, Riku... This is Kimako Hiroshi, proprieter of the Crane of the Wandering Moon hotel. He can support my real alibi. Hiroshi-san, I know I told you to never reveal what happened, but I revoke that. Please, on my mother's grave, tell these men what happened that night. You know which one."

The old, slightly balding man in front of them opened his eyes wide. "But, young master, what will happen to you? I mean..."

"I will be fine, Hiroshi-san... Just... tell them..." Kaoru looked away. "Please..."

"Alright, young master..." Hiroshi turned, and looked up to Kakashi and Riku. "Riku-chan, I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you... Hatake-san, I was a great friend of the Kameno family, the young master's parents and kin. When he needed my help for a place for him and his woman to stay, after a scare at his home with his daughter, he came to me. I let them have my best room for no cost, for three days. I have it in my records, and hidden security camera tapes that I planned to destroy..."

The old man bumbled behind his counter, and took out a solid metal box. He dragged it out, and with some strain, lifted it to the counter.

"You'll find all you need in there..." The old man said with a tremble in hs voice. "I'm ashamed of it, but... I couldn't refuse the young master..."

The man stumbled over to Kaoru and cried into his shirt. Kaoru held his shoulders and patted his head, looking down at him. "I'm sorry, Hiroshi-san..."

Kakashi curled his fingers around the handles carved in the box's side, and led the small group away.

---

Sakura fumbled through the files, scrabbling notes down on her note pad with one hand and pulling open drawers with the other.

Ukiko Slaughter - mist nins - 16 yrs ago - three survived - missing-nins Nori's team - mist nins - 16 yrs ago - unknown survived - blamed on Mizukage's government Kikyou - Nori's teammate - died 8 years ago - killed? - mission Ukiko-Fubuki Clan War - fourty years ago - Leaf vs. Mist?

Finally stopping, she collected her files in a pile. The Ukiko slaughter - Kikyou's death report - The Clan War report - List of Mist Missing-nin in the least half-century.

She scanned the list avidly, highlighting a certain group of names every so often. The Fubuki clan had only produced 10 missing-nins. One from fifty years ago, killed. Two from thirty years ago. Three from at least twenty ago years dead, with one alive.

And a genin team from 16 years ago, almost exactly. Fubuki Sannou, sensei, dead. Fubuki Yuki, dead. Fubuki Nikkou, alive and on the run. Fubuki Koushukei, alive as well. Plus another, Fubuki Kara, also alive, from a month or so before. Father, mother, and three children.

All obsessed with revenge.

It suddenly all fit together. Why the mist vehemently denied their involvement in the Ukiko slaughter. The bloodlines used in the killing of Nori's sensei and Ukiko members. Fubuki Kara used a sword, as did her daughter Nikkou - swords had killed Keitarou, Kikyou and Nori, as well as supplied cuts on the children's bodies. Why the cavern was so freezing cold. Why Nori was the focus of the murders.

But, if they had killed Ikari...

... He might have reminded them of their original purpose.

Every Ukiko in Konoha was unsafe...

---

"Hatake!" A voice called Kakashi from across the hall, just as he was headed towards the door.

"Yeah?" he asked lazily, turning around to see a Chuunin holding a sheet of paper.

"There's been another death."

--- End Chapter Five --- 


End file.
